I Forbid the Banns! — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

26 ‘‘T FORBID THE BANNS!” Miss Travers replied that her guardian, Mrs. Howard, had made up her mind to paya visit to the commanding officer of Engineers at James’ Town, and his wife, and intended taking Miss Travers with her on this strictly pro- fessional enterprise. “And you, diplomatist—are you going ashore?” Charl- ton asked of Cyril. The diplomatist declared with a laugh that he meant to remain aboard the steamer, the fact being that the deputy governor of the island was one of the many administrators whom Mr. Southcote had governed in the capacity of private secretary. There was a tradition at the Colonial Office that whenever the Secretary of State for that depart- ment bore a marked grudge against any administrator, he sent out Cyril Southcote to be his private secretary. It was generally admitted that any minister for the colonies who would desire a worse fate to befall his bitter- est enemy than to have Mr. Southcote sent to him as pri- vate secretary, would indeed be implacable. “Tcan without difficulty imagine a scheme of happiness that does not include paying a visit to any place within the sphere of influence—that is a strictly diplomatic phrase—of Sir Ebenezer.”’ These were the exact words employed by Mr. Southcote to explain how it was impossible for him to go ashore at James’ Town. Miss Travers laughed most agreeably, and in a very joyous way, when he had spoken. She had no trouble what- ever in laughing joyously when Mr. Southcote had made use of, or fancied he had made use of, some phrase embody- ing an exquisite slight. She never again so far forgot herself as to be clever before him. It was far better to laugh joyously at his clev- erness, | But when hewas out of hearing she ventured to express Eomicbooks (e)